Flat Tires & Bent Rims between Serenje and Luwingu - July 2017

We left the guest house at Serenje at 5:00a, and realized we needed fuel before hitting the road - but all the petrol stations were closed until 7:00a.  Not having 2 hours to waste, we found an "alternative fuel supplier" beside the road selling petrol out of jugs.  This is not a first for our team... Through the years we have faced many problems together, some beyond our control, and some self-inflicted (like this one).  So, after topping off the tank, we headed out at a high rate of speed toward Luwingu, our next stop on this journey.   Things didn't go smoothly.   After a few hours of travel on a pothole-filled road, we hit a significant pothole (one of many) hard enough to bend both rims on the left side of the vehicle.  It was somewhere near here.  One lost all air. The other lost most and was leaking slowly.  We had a good "donut" spare and were able to purchase a hand pump from a passing bicyclist.  For the next hour and a half, we had to stop about every 20 minutes to jack up the car and take pressure off the tire while we took turns hand-pumping air back in.  Finally made it to the lakeside community of Samfya (closest town to our position) where we hired a "tire shop" to beat the rims back round(er) to the point where they could hold air.  It was still an early morning, so we found a really nice place to have breakfast... for about $6 each!  Then back on the road - hammer down - to Luwingu!  Josh & Sydney were a big help and were even able to capture some beautiful photos while we were incapacitated.  Then it was off to finish the journey to Luwingu...  >> NEXT >>